Reconstruction of new homes has brought smiles to flood victims in Kashmir but the restoration of damaged public infrastructure is yet to commence in the district.
Healing the wounds of the flood victims in Chisoti area of Kishtwar district the Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Monday this week laid the foundation stone for construction of new houses for flood-hit families. Rebuilding 19 houses free of cost for the families rendered homeless during the recent floods and cloudbursts in Chisoti areas of Kishtwar district with the support of Rural Development Society (HRDS India), a Civil Society Organisation is not just the fulfillment of a commitment but it also shows the concern of Lieutenant Governor for the rehabilitation of those hit by recent floods not only in Kishtwar but in all the disaster hit populations in other districts of both Jammu division and Kashmir. The foundation stones laid for construction of new homes for homeless in Kishtwar is just a beginning and flood victims in other districts across Jammu & Kashmir would be now desperately waiting for foundation of their homes. Building homes for the houseless flood victims won’t end the reconstruction plans of the Government as key infrastructural facilities swept away by the devastating flood too have to be rebuilt for the delivery of key public services both hilly areas and plains across Jammu & Kashmir. Moreover the initiative is not the part of a full scale rehabilitation of the food victims which is yet to commence in Kishtwar and other flood hit areas of many more districts across Jammu & Kashmir.
The temporary fiber cement huts are unsuitable as permanent homes for flood victims in the freezing temperatures of winter. While Government is focusing on enhancing yatra facilities from next year, the response to demands for traditional, winter-ready homes and restoration of flood-damaged livelihoods is yet to come from the Jammu & Kashmir Government”
While the Government claims that materials used for building pre-fabricated huts for the flood hit populations have been selected for their strength, durability, and ability to withstand harsh climatic conditions, ensuring long-term resilience and suitability to the region’s environment but people have apprehensions about the strength of the pre-fabricated huts in the period of harsh winter approaching in a short of less than a month now. For all practical purposes the prefabricated huts built with fiber cement boards on a steel structural framework with C-channel sections can’t be the permanent homes of the houseless flood victims in a region where freezing temperatures freeze halt the normal human activities even in traditional homes built with all good facilities to withstand the winter chill. While Lt Governor has promised to augment the facilities for the conduct of a traditional yatra during which collateral damage was caused to public and private settlements in August this year the Government is yet to respond to the demands for the reconstruction of traditional homes for the flood victims and creation of livelihood opportunities for the youth whose sources of livelihood have been devastated by the floods .
